Strand holding and tensioning device



March 27, 1934. A. B H 1,952,358

' STRAND HOLDING AND TENSIONING JDEVICE Filed March 11, 19:53

no. I.

FIG. 4.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES- 1,952,ss STRAND HOLDING ANDTENSIONING PATENT OFFICE DEVICE Alfred Bohm; Brooklyn, N; Y. ApplicationMarch 11, 1933, Serial No. 660,350

5 Claims. (01. 132-92) This invention relates to an improvement instrand holding and tensioning devices and more particularly to a devicefor tensioning and holding under tension a strand of dental floss or thelike for application in cleaning teeth.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, -neat,-eflicient andattractive device of the character described, simple to manufacture andeasy to use.

With the above and other objects in view the invention contemplates abow or U-shaped frame carrying a detachable magazine or storage cell fora package of dental floss at one end thereof, means interposed betweenthe frame and the magazine to grip floss drawn into operative positionacross the frame and further means at the other end of the frame totension and grip the floss also.

Other objects and characterizing features and details of the inventionwill appear clearly from the following detailed description of oneembodiment of the invention taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a dental flossapplicator embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken view thereof partially in longitudinal centralsection;

Fig. 3 is a detached enlarged view in perspec- --tive of the strandgripping and tensioning screw;

and

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in side elevation of another embodiment oftheinvention.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, aU-shaped frame generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 isassociated with a coupling 11 and a combined handle and magazine member12.

On the right hand arm of the frame 10 is a head 14 carrying an integralrightwardly extending coupling sleeve 15 internally threaded to receiveand coaot with the reduced, complementarily threaded left hand end ofthe coupling member 11 which forms a plug 16.

The right hand end of the coupling member 11 is similarly reduced toform a plug 17 and externally threaded to enter and coaot with thecomplementarily internally threaded left hand end of the hollowcylindrical magazine and handle member 12.

The handle 12 is hollow and closed at its right hand end to provide acompletely enclosed storage space 18 when the device is assembled.

The coupling member 11 is provided with a longitudinal axial bore 19 ofsufiicient size to give easy passage to a strand 20 drawn from a package21 thereof in the storage space 18.

The head 14 likewise has a longitudinal bore 22 for the passage of thestrand 20 therethrough, which bore 22 however is not in line with thebore 19 of the coupling 11, but is displaced laterally therefrom in adirection away from the back 24 of the frame. This arrangement servesthe double purpose of making the tensioned por-' tion of the strand asaccessible as possible, and of providing simple and reliablemeans togrip the inner end of the tensioned portion. 7

The sleeve 15 and the plug 16 are so proportioned that when there is nostrand in the device and the parts are screwed home, the end face 25 ofthe plug 16 will touch the bottom face 26 of: the sleeve 15; Thus when astrand is in the device as shown in Fig. 2 the portion of thestrandbetween the lefthand end of the bore 19 and the right hand end ofthe bore 22 will be jammed and firmly gripped between the faces 25 and26 when the coupling 11 is firmly screwed into the sleeve 15.

The left hand arm 27 of the frame 10 is formed at its outer extremitywith a notch 28 substantially in alignment with the bore 22. Back of thenotch 28 a tensioning and gripping screw 29 is mounted in'the arm 27.The junction of the head 30 and threaded shank 31 of this screw is aconical surface 32 preferably with an apex angle not greater than aright angle and the female portion of the arm 27 is similarly formed.

The head 30 is further formed with a radial slot 33 preferably having aconcavely curved bottom so that at the intersection of the bottom of theslot with the conical surface 32 there is formed a sharp edge 34.

In operation a miniature cop of dental floss is dropped into the space18 after the device has been disassembled. A suflicient length of thefloss is drawn out and threaded through the bore 19. The member 11 isthen screwed into the handle' 12 and ordinarily remains so until thesupply of floss has been exhausted, thus protecting the supply of flossfrom contamination.

The length of floss is then threaded through the bore 22 and the member11 is screwed firmly home into the sleeve 15 thus gripping the flossfirmly between the faces 25 and 26.

The free end of the floss is then drawn taut and laid into the groove28, brought up and wound around the conical part 32 of the screw 29which has been backed out a trifle to admit the floss. The floss iswound in the same direction as the threads on the shank 31 of the screw.Now when the screw is tightened the combined capstan effect and wedgingeffect of the conical surface 32 draws the strand yet a little more tautand grips it firmly in place.

The remaining free end of the strand is then drawn into the slot 33 anda slight jerk serves easily to cut it ofi short against the edge 34.

When a fresh portion of strand is desired, the screw 29 is loosen dslightly and the plug 16 backed a trifle out of the sleeve 15. A freshlength of strand may now be easily withdrawn from the supply 21, grippedbetween the faces 25 and 26, drawn taut and tensioned and gripped by thescrew 29, and then cut off against the edge 34 as before.

In the modified construction shown embodied in Fig. 4 the bore 122 inthe head 114 may be axially aligned with the bore 119 of the coupling111. The plug 116 is diametrally longitudinally slotted. Thecomplementary elements of the ,plug 116 and sleeve -are so proportionedthat when there is no strand in the device and the plug is screwed homeinto the sleeve the two tips 125 and 126 are brought firmly intocontact, so that when there is a strand threaded through the device itmay be firmly jammed and gripped between the tips 125 and 126 byscrewing the plug firmly into the sleeve and released by backing theplug out a trifle again.

The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are illustrativemerely and may be modified and departed from in many ways withoutdeparting from the spirit. and scope of the invention as pointed out inand limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a strandholding and tensioning device, a frame having aninternally threaded coupling sleeve and a strand passage at one, endthereof and a threaded and conically countersunk screwhole at the otherend, a strand tensioning and gripping screw in the screwhole and havinga conical capstan surface to coact with the conically countersunksurface of the screwhole, a coupling member complementary to and screwedinto the coupling sleeve and having a strand passage therethrough offsetfrom the strand passage of the frame, and a strand supply containingmember detachably secured to the coupling member.

2. In a strand holding and tensioning device, a bow shaped frame, astrand supply containing member detachably secured to one end of theframe, means interposed between the frame and the member to grip astrand, and in combination therewith means independent thereof andmounted on the frame and adapted to tension the strand across the frameand to grip the tensioned strand.

3. In a strand holding and tensioning device, a bow shaped frame, astrand supply containing member detachably secured to one end of theframe, means to grip a strand drawn from the member located at the endof the frame supporting the member, and in combination therewith secondmeans independent thereof and mounted on the frame and adapted totension the strand across the frame and to grip the tensioned strand.

4:. In a strand holding and tensioning device, a bow shaped frame, astrand supply containing member associated therewith, means at one endof the frame to grip a strand drawn from the member, and in combinationtherewith second means independent thereof and mounted on the frame andadapted to tension the strand across the frame and to grip the tensionedstrand.

5. In a strand holding and tensioning device, a bow shaped frame, astrand supply containing member associated therewith, means to grip astrand drawn from. themember at one end of the frame, and second meansindependent thereof comprising a capstan headed screw mounted in andcoacting with the frame to tension the strand across the frame and togrip the tensioned strand. 7

ALFRED BOI-IM.

ICC

